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Monday, November 21, 2011

Smart Women Aren't Fat

You know that awkward moment between when you press 'play' and when the music starts?

I'm in that moment when I overhear a man say that "smart women aren't fat..."

Those four words struck a chord in me that I haven't been able to escape the reverberations.

Seriously.

What does that mean?

Smart women aren't fat?

I, as a women who is fat believe myself to be of reasonable intelligence.

No, I can't expound on the principles of string theory at the drop of a hat or beat you about the head with all the events of the timeline of the Crimean War.

You want to start an in depth discussion about social-economic-political issues of the day - how many hours do you have?

I've turned those four words over in my head several times and I still can't infer a meaning that makes sense to me out of it.

Did the man mean that smart women are more attuned to the needs of the body? Does it mean that smart women know the benefits of exercise and good nutrition? Does it mean that smart women marry rich men and can afford personal trainers and nutritionists? Does it mean that smart women understand the benefits of looking good or being good looking in a visual male society?

Does it mean that someone meets me and automatically subtracts 20, 30, 50 points from my IQ before they hold a conversation with me?

That blanket statement has caused me several moments of pure consternation.

I've tried to take an opposite approach...if smart women aren't fat then all fat women are dumb. Which means that basically all skinny women are smart <- That can't be what he meant because I know some skinny women who are dumber than a box of rocks.

Did he read some research that says fat impedes brain function? Is there a formula? For every 10 pounds you gain you lose 1 IQ point? For every 50 pounds you gain you lose 50 IQ points?